Ebay's new Buyers' protection fee from the 4th Feb

[rsbrickshop]

I'm a private seller. Items I sell are between £2.90 - £10. Is It just me or will ebay's new Buyers' protection fee from the 4th Feb make it near impossible to sell competitively. A few months ago Ebay got rid of Sellers' fees for private sellers, which was a welcome move. But this new change and getting rid of multi-buy discount for private sellers will make it worse than it was with the original fees.

[wantshopwearuk]

I used to buy and hoard attractive products as a coping mechanism during severe depression. Some of the clothes I sell for example, date back to 2018 with tags still attached. They provided a temporary feel-good effect, but I quickly found myself thousands in debt. After a couple of years in recovery, I made the decision to sell everything to clear my debts and regain control.

My account clearly states that I’m a private seller, so it makes no sense for them to think otherwise. 

[wantshopwearuk]

A private seller. 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

if they are going back to 2018 then they cannot be described as brand new!  Apart from which if they are so old how did you manage to get stock photos of them all?   Your account states you are a private seller because that is what you registered as and it makes no difference to what you are in reality.

[thesmi42]

To add to the advice that you have been given, it may be advisable for you to review your listings of any 'brand new' beauty product you have which may have past the 'expiry date' otherwise you could be laying yourself open to legal action if the buyer suffers medical problems through its use.

[jma2815]

As a buyer I don’t normally care what people register as because of the MBG but….why don’t you have any photos of the actual items for sale? Just multiple stock photos and press adverts for each item. 

I wouldn’t buy from you because it really looks as if you don’t have the items you’ve listed. If you do have them, your prices seem quite low for used designer stuff (please don’t list as new if its been yours) you’d probably sell well if the listings looked more legit. 

[23sandlane]

I'm 79 and over the years I've amassed a large collection of postcards and books that I'm now selling off as a private seller which seems reasonable to me as I'm moving to a much smaller house and, anyway, I'm getting old and what else can I do with the stuff. However, because of the extra fees that Ebay is piling on Buyers  (I mean do they really need buyer protection on a £1.99 postcard!!!! - and why isn't the buyer given the option of refusing the protection as, for instance, they are if offered insurance on an appliance) I considered opening a basic business account (around £20 per month which I can probably afford). So I contacted the help desk chat thingy only to find that I will have to pay fees for all my existing items which makes it totally uneconomic for me. Ebay calls me a valued member but when making these changes clearly has no consideration for my situation. My sales will go down and Ebay will lose out, even if it's only a little - but what do they care.

[dyingcult]

At this point most online marketplaces, and paypal, can report people earnings from their digital transactions if they exceed a certain amount to HMRC whatever category they assume.. so let them do their jobs

i dont care if it is private or business- i'm sure there are good and bad in both categories and i've always had buyer protection on here before these changes 

[wintersdawn1]

I am sorry to read about your situation, ebay have put a lot of private sellers selling low cost items in the same position due to the buyer protection fee and unfortunately their guiding light, if you will, is to make more money no matter what affect it has on others.

I believe ebay may want to get rid of private sellers selling low cost items as it clogs up their selling platform and they don't make enough when an item sells.

[herdesher]

Totally agree. See someone else noticed a drop in sales - me too gone very quiet as extra fee charged buyers. Another remark was so often a tracked dispatch never shows delivered although it has been. So they charge the buyer, delay sometimes by weeks Seller's money. The only winner in this is ebay's profits. 

Buyers pay more, sellers don't get their money in fair time.

I'll be looking for another sales platform to sell on and buy from. Well done Ebay - own goal!

[canon-couture]

Basically forcing sellers to reduce the cost to enable the original price to be paid by the buyer. Total joke. 10% is ridiculous. An £11.99 item now at over £13 is much less attractive to perspective buyers. Tell me how I'm supposed to buy my stock for 10% less to accommodate this. It's not affe ting buyers because there is no way sellers can not reduce their sale cost! 

[andha-21]

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@canon-couture wrote:

Basically forcing sellers to reduce the cost to enable the original price to be paid by the buyer. Total joke. 10% is ridiculous. An £11.99 item now at over £13 is much less attractive to perspective buyers. Tell me how I'm supposed to buy my stock for 10% less to accommodate this. It's not affe ting buyers because there is no way sellers can not reduce their sale cost! 

---

You're definitely going to be facing the Business Seller police here after that comment. Good luck with that.

[canon-couture]

Basically forcing sellers to reduce the cost to enable the original price to be paid by the buyer. Total joke. 10% is ridiculous. An £11.99 item now at over £13 is much less attractive to perspective buyers. Tell me how I'm supposed to buy my stock for 10% less to accommodate this. It's not affe ting buyers because there is no way sellers can not reduce their sale cost!

I am mostly selling items of bought for me or my kids which I have 6, 20 to 0 years. I am generally losing as I buy new and sell secondhand/used.

I think the promotional rate is a bit of a liberty too, as when I look at my own listing, I am paying a promotional fee, yet I am advertising another shop which sells similar items. Talk about trying to steal my potential customers. It is plain rude and charging me to boost my items and then pushing someone else's wears on my listing absolute scum!

Not to mention I can write in the search bar verbatim my items title and even when there is NOT the same item available I do NOT cone up first, despite my alleged promotion!

EBAY skimming off everyone left, right and centre. No proof items are sold via promotions either, just eBay saying so. 

Also if I promote and item and then lower the price and it sells after the reduction, it is still claimed it was due to the promotion even when it's from someone who looked 29 days ago 😂 😂 😂 😂. 

[the_book_seekers]

@andha-21 was trying to tell you that your comment - 'Tell me how I'm supposed to buy my stock for 10% less to accommodate this' makes you sound like you're a business trading on a private account and you could receive some adverse comments for it.

[edwardian-dreams]

The standard 75p on items of any value is wrong imo

should have been 10% of askIn price if anything to start with 

75p on a 99p item is crazy

plus the percentage on top

[jonat_broad]

"Also if I promote and item and then lower the price and it sells after the reduction, it is still claimed it was due to the promotion even when it's from someone who looked 29 days ago"

I see your point, but given you are aware of the attribution window (and its a fairly standard attribution window at that) - you could of course just do the discount on day 31....

[23sandlane]

Yes, what buyer is going to pay almost double a 99p item for "Buyer
Protection". The buyer will think we are mad - and seller's will probably
get the blame rather than eBay.

[soapss33]

Only they are not slapping it to the buyers really, the buyer will buy from a miriad of options available to them by comparing prices. If there are two of the same item in similar condition and one of them is cheaper than the other they'll probably go for the cheaper option. So if you are listing an item and you see that it sells for prices ranging £430 and £500 and you want to list yours at a lower price of say £415 guess what? it now shows as £430.02 to the buyer. In order for the item to cost 415 you now have to list it at £400, so no, it's not the buyer who is paying for it, its still the seller.

This is just a dirty trick to fool you into thinking you are being charged no fees, but you are being charged, if your items sells for 430 but you only get 415, sorry to break it to you but you got charged and I don't appreciate Ebay treating me like i'm an idiot and trying to fool me about what just happened.

On top of it now in order to list your items at the competitive price you want, you have to list them, then check what price ebay has slapped on top, then go back and change your price. No thank you. It's extra hassle. 

[sammylou40]

I don’t disbelieve you but I will give you some advice if what you are saying is true.  
It’s been pointed out that anyone can choose their account, private or business.  EBay don’t choose it so that’s irrelevant.  
your user name is very much business style so if you don’t want people to assume you are a business then it’s the wrong user name. If your items have been stored for a while then you should be using your own photos and listing them as with tags.  Rather than stock photos. 
Your account does give the whole wrong impression and is the type of account, amongst that of many many others, that is part of the reason that eBay have made these changes. 
There will be users who will jump on you and disbelieve you.   Discuss by all means.  But report abuse and bullying. 
and consider changing how you present your sales if you don’t want difficulties later

[kath3735_wxmjn]

who are you trying to kid?  Quite honestly i despair of how some people think the rest of us are so stupid as to believe the stuff they come out with.   No way have you got that many sports outfits for sale and sold as a private seller, no matter how many children you have.    I can understand why business sellers do get fed up with some so called private ones.

[23sandlane]

I'm not sure how these forums work as I seem to be getting replies that are
for other people???